Bug 2373516 (CVE-2022-50220) - CVE-2022-50220 kernel: usbnet: Fix linkwatch use-after-free on disconnect
Summary: CVE-2022-50220 kernel: usbnet: Fix linkwatch use-after-free on disconnect
Keywords:
Status: NEW
Alias: CVE-2022-50220
Product: Security Response
Classification: Other
Component: vulnerability
Version: unspecified
Hardware: All
OS: Linux
high
high
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Product Security DevOps Team
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2025-06-18 12:06 UTC by OSIDB Bzimport
Modified: 2025-06-19 19:27 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2025-06-18 12:06:25 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

usbnet: Fix linkwatch use-after-free on disconnect

usbnet uses the work usbnet_deferred_kevent() to perform tasks which may
sleep.  On disconnect, completion of the work was originally awaited in
->ndo_stop().  But in 2003, that was moved to ->disconnect() by historic
commit "[PATCH] USB: usbnet, prevent exotic rtnl deadlock":

  https://git.kernel.org/tglx/history/c/0f138bbfd83c

The change was made because back then, the kernel's workqueue
implementation did not allow waiting for a single work.  One had to wait
for completion of *all* work by calling flush_scheduled_work(), and that
could deadlock when waiting for usbnet_deferred_kevent() with rtnl_mutex
held in ->ndo_stop().

The commit solved one problem but created another:  It causes a
use-after-free in USB Ethernet drivers aqc111.c, asix_devices.c,
ax88179_178a.c, ch9200.c and smsc75xx.c:

* If the drivers receive a link change interrupt immediately before
  disconnect, they raise EVENT_LINK_RESET in their (non-sleepable)
  ->status() callback and schedule usbnet_deferred_kevent().
* usbnet_deferred_kevent() invokes the driver's ->link_reset() callback,
  which calls netif_carrier_{on,off}().
* That in turn schedules the work linkwatch_event().

Because usbnet_deferred_kevent() is awaited after unregister_netdev(),
netif_carrier_{on,off}() may operate on an unregistered netdev and
linkwatch_event() may run after free_netdev(), causing a use-after-free.

In 2010, usbnet was changed to only wait for a single instance of
usbnet_deferred_kevent() instead of *all* work by commit 23f333a2bfaf
("drivers/net: don't use flush_scheduled_work()").

Unfortunately the commit neglected to move the wait back to
->ndo_stop().  Rectify that omission at long last.

Comment 1 Avinash Hanwate 2025-06-19 19:15:56 UTC
Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2025061847-CVE-2022-50220-8682@gregkh/T


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